Atsushi Murasakibara
|kanji = 紫原 敦 |gender = Male |age = 16 |height = Yōsen: 208 cm (6' 10") Teikō: 186 cm |weight = 99 kg (218 lbs) |birthday = October 9th, Libra |blood type = O |team = Teikō (former) Yōsen |position = Center |talent = Blocking and Power Zone |first appearance manga = Chapter 73 |first appearance anime = Episode 25 |anime voice = Kenichi Suzumura }} Atsushi Murasakibara (紫原 敦 Murasakibara Atsushi) was the Generation of Miracles' center. He now plays for Yōsen High and competed in the Winter Cup. Appearance Murasakibara is abnormally tall for someone of his age, even taller than Papa Mbaye Siki. He is the tallest player seen in the entire series. He has shoulder length, purple hair that touches his back. During the match against Seirin High School, he is seen with his hair pulled back into a ponytail during the fourth quarter. He has been seen wearing a white "Tonicwater" t-shirt and a working-overall. Personality According to his height, Murasakibara acts very lumpish. He fools around at serious times, which is not always well received. He is mildly sadistic and childish. The only reason he plays basketball, is because he's good at it, he doesn't care for the sport at all. He has always told others that he dislikes, feels bored and even hates players who play basketball with passion, even when they are losing. However, it is hinted that he actually likes basketball from the bottom of his heart due to his activation of Zone.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 79, page 2 He is sort of a sweet tooth as he is seen eating sugar-related foods all the time, except when he is in a game. It is also mentioned that Murasakibara also spends every single penny he has on these kinds of junk food. According to Kuroko, Murasakibara isn't the calm type, he was actually the opposite within the Generation of Miracles. He used to be very active in the attacking lineup during his junior high school days at Teikō, even setting a record of scoring 100 points in a single game when he was enraged. However, since basketball bored him, half way in junior high school he stopped attacking and has limited himself to defensive plays only. His actual specialty is offense. During the match against Seirin, Murasakibara was startled when Seirin managed to cut Yōsen's lead from 18 points to just only 5. Murasakibara claims that there is no point for the weak to struggle any further and then switches to offense momentarily after being enraged.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 156, page 1 History Murasakibara is seen at the tryouts for the Teikō basketball club. His name is called as one of the four freshmen who made it into the first string of the club, a feat never seen before.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 204, page 17 At the beginning Murasakibara did not get along well with Midorima, but after Kuroko's proposed 3 on 3 match the dispute was settled. Due to their large difference in basketball life, Kuroko and Murasakibara would often find themselves arguing over hard work versus talent. Murasakibara claiming that hard work is worthless if you don't have talent and that there is no merit in even trying, while Kuroko does aknowledge Murasakibara's point, he disagrees with the fact that hard work doesn't pay off. Kuroko who loves basketball and experienced loss and hardship could never agree with someone like Murasakibara who even though did not love basketball, recieved nothing but victory.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 158, page 5 Despite their differences, Kuroko and Murasakibara did get along when it came to other things, and would usualy go get ice cream together along with Aomine, Kise, Midorima and Momoi. Sometime during his time in Teikō, Murasakibara had a match against Shōei Junior High, where he played against Teppei Kiyoshi and won.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 157, page 6 When the Generation of Miracles talent began to bloom, Murasakibara became arrogant and refused to come to practices because he felt they were unnecessary. He challenged Akashi and claimed that he would not follow anyone weaker than himself. Akashi accepted the challenge and awakened his emperor eye winning the 1 on 1 match. Despite winning, Akashi allowed Murasakibara to skip practices as long as he scores baskets during matches.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 221, page 16 After the graduation, Murasakibara met with the other members of the Generation of Miracles and made an oath to battle against the rest to see who is the strongest.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 227, page 17 After the graduation, everyone went their separate ways, meaning that they went into different high schools and basketball teams hoping to win in events. Story Interhigh Murasakibara is first seen after Kaijō and Tōō match in the Interhigh. He is walking in the hallways, eating his usual candy and is noticed by Kagami, who is amazed by his enormous height. He is called by his teammates and it is revealed that he was lost. He walks past Kuroko, who is bent over tying his shoelace and when Kuroko hears Murasakibara's name, Murasakibara disappears behind a corner, Kuroko was unable to greet him.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 73, page 18 Later on in the series it was revealed by Momoi that during the semi-finals of the Interhigh, Murasakibara did not show up on his match against Rakuzan High. This was because he refused to play against Akashi who was the opponent. Resulting in Yōsen High's loss. Pre-Winter Cup Murasakibara went along with his teammate Himuro to the Street Basketball 5 on 5, even though their school Yōsen High doesn't let student participate in out of school activities. He got lost and wandered around the terrain, being noticed by Seiho High.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 77, page 8 He finds Himuro about to play against the Seirin High freshmen and interrupts the match by throwing his candy bar on the flying ball at the tip-off.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 78, page 16 He reunites with Kuroko for the first time since Junior High school and jokes around by first threatening him, but then patting his head, which annoys Kuroko. As some other players asks Murasakibara about the Interhigh, he responds that he didn't play because Akashi said so. When the referee asked Murasakibara to clear the court, he remembers that he came to stop Himuro from playing. As they are about to leave, Kagami stops them and challenges Murasakibara to play. Murasakibara declines and makes fun of Kagami's eyebrows. Kagami then tries to pursue him by saying that he's too scared to play, which annoys Murasakibara and he agrees to play. Himuro and him join an unknown team in order to play against Seirin.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 78, page 11 Winter Cup Murasakibara appears at the Winter Cup when Akashi called the Generation of Miracles for a meet-up. When Kuroko arrives and Aomine makes a comment on him bringing Furihata along, Murasakibara notices that Aomine has brought Momoi as well.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 113, page 6 As always, Murasakibara is eating something sweet, this time a chocolate bar. When he finishes, he tries to open a bag of chips, fails and asks Midorima for his scissors, but Midorima refuses. Akashi finally arrives and after dealing with Kagami, takes his leave. Akashi then says that it seems that the Generation has not yet forgotten the oath they made. Round 1 He is later seen watching the match between Seirin and Tōō.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 114, page 16 Round 2 Round 3 Quarter-finals In the quarter-finals, Murasakibara and Yōsen face Seirin. Murasakibara easily outjumps Kagami during the tip off and gives Yōsen possession; however this is overruled by the referee as he jumped before the ball had reached its maximum height. Possession is then awarded to Seirin, who begin a series of quick passes on Yōsen's perimeter. Hyūga then attempts a jump shot, but Murasakibara shows off his fast reflexes by blocking Hyūga's shot. Seirin get the offensive rebound and use Kuroko to change the trajectory of the passes, freeing Kagami for the open jump shot inside the three point arc. However, Murasakibara blocks him and Masako notes that he is not only big and fast, but he also has a huge wingspan. She says that the entire area inside of the three point arc is "his domain".Kuroko no Basuke chapter 146, page 15 Yōsen scores their first points, but after the inbounds pass, Kuroko throws a full court pass to Izuki who runs up the court, but is confronted by Murasakibara, who is not participating in the offense. Masako says that although she doesn't like players who don't run up and down the court, the Yōsen defense is complete with Murasakibara himself. Murasakibara grabs the rebound from Hyūga's missed shot over Kagami and Kiyoshi, and passes the ball ahead.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 147, page 8 As the second quarter begins, Kiyoshi attempts to lose Murasakibara using a spin move, but Murasakibara scorns Kiyoshi for believing that he could pass him with such a skill and blocks him. Kiyoshi then reveals that he had a different plan all along and throws an alley-oop to Kagami who attempts to dunk, but is blocked again by Murasakibara as his height and wingspan helped him block Kiyoshi's first attempt without jumping, thus enabling him to block Kagami. However Kagami manages to throw the ball out to Kuroko, leaving Murasakibara shocked as he thought Kuroko couldn't shoot. He then moves to block Kuroko, but is amazed as Kuroko's Phantom Shot disappears and falls into the hoop, giving Seirin its first points of the match.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 148, page 16 He then tells Kuroko that he is surprised that it was Kuroko who scored the first basket for Seirin. In a subsequent play, the last of the second quarter, Kuroko manages to score another basket past Murasakibara with the Phantom Shot, and the score stands at 29 – 17 with Yosen up. In the locker room, Masako notes that Kuroko will likely be benched when the match resumes. Riko and Masako then come to the conclusion that the most important matchups in the thrid quarters will be between Kiyoshi and Murasakibara and Kagami and Himuro. Murasakibara resolves to "erase" Kiyoshi.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 150, page 13 Confronting Kiyoshi in the third quarter, Murasakibara tells him that he won't be able to do a thing against him, to which Kiyoshi replies that he won't know that unless he tries. On the next possession, Kiyoshi gets the ball and faces Murasakibara who says that he'll crush Kiyoshi just as he did in Junior High school. He then asks Kiyoshi why he's trying to beat him when he knows he will fail, to which Kiyoshi replies that striving to be the number one team in the Nationals is fun. He then asks Murasakibara if he finds basketball fun, irking him. He then goes for a double clutch layup but is blocked by Murasakibara. Izuki gets the rebound and passes it back to Kiyoshi who has retreated beyond the three point arc. Kiyoshi then knocks down the three to Murasakibara's surprise, but he quickly recovers, deeming the basket a fluke.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 152, page 15 On the next possession, Kiyoshi, playing point guard, drives past Fukui and positions himself for a jump shot. Murasakibara moves out to block him but Kiyoshi quickly passes to Izuki who drives toward to hoop. Murasakibara and Ryū are there to block him, but Kiyoshi notes that Izuki's Eagle Eye has evolved enough to enable him to make a play. In the stands, Aomine notes that Seirin will break Yosen's defense on this possession as Murasakibara takes time to land after a block attempt, thus allowing Seirin to pass the ball and make a play during that short interval. As predicted, Izuki throws an alley-oop to Kiyoshi, who dunks the ball over Murasakibara, Okamura and Ryū.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 152, page 19 Much to Murasakibara's rage, Seirin is able to repeat the play in their next possession, with Kiyoshi drawing him out by faking a jump shot and then passing to Izuki, who finds the open Hyūga for a successful three point attempt. Kagami is then put back into the game, and after blocking Himuro, rushes towards Murasakibara on the fast break. Although his dunk attempt is blocked, Murasakibara realizes that he was attempting a shot that went wrong. In a subsequent Seirin possession, Kiyoshi manages to outjump Murasakibara and successfully dunk on him, after Izuki missed a three pointer. After this, a play by Kiyoshi enables Kagami to dunk on Murasakibara.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 155, page 10 This move finally enrages Murasakibara and he resolves to "wring the pride" out of Seirin. He decides to participate in the Yōsen offense. The coach, Araki stated that she never expect this to happen and thanks Seirin for initiate Murasakibara, who she called "the beast". The benched Kuroko said that Murasakibara scored 100 points once in a single game when he went serious. He posts up Kiyoshi, but Hyūga and Mitobe soon join in, Hyūga stating that their main objective is to stop Murasakibara. Kiyoshi tells him that he never intended to beat him alone to begin with, but Murasakibara doesn't even acknowledge the triple team. He pushes all three back, and when he gets the ball, he jumps into the air, his back facing the basket and performs a 360 dunk, called the Tornado Dunk, knocking Kiyoshi, Hyūga and Izuki to the ground. Seirin then attempt a fast break to catch Murasakibara out of position, but are shocked to learn that he fast over both long and short distances as he outruns Izuki and prepares to face Seirin. Kiyoshi attempts a layup but then converts it into a pass to avoid Murasakibara's block. However Murasakibara swats the pass away with his left hand and dunks on the Yōsen possession so powerfully that he brings down the hoop, leaving a shocked Seirin wondering how they could "stop this beast".Kuroko no Basuke chapter 156, page 17 Murasakibara then proceeds to block Kiyoshi again and mock Seirin, saying that he didn't even need to get serious if this was all of the challenge that Seirin posed. Kiyoshi then attempts to catch a rebound using Vice Claw, but Murasakibara rebuffs him and shocks the spectators when he uses a Vice Claw of his own. He then takes the ball coast to coast and dunks on Kagami and Kiyoshi, sending them sprawling to the ground. Kiyoshi, having reached his limit, is unable to get up, but Murasakibara "helps" him up. He tells him that like before, he was unable to defend anything and states that with him gone from the Junior High, Seirin would lose. He then asks him whether he still felt basketball was fun after all this. As Kiyoshi exits the game, he tells Kuroko to win and Kuroko tells Murasakibara that he will beat Yōsen for Kiyoshi. Murasakibara doesn't take him seriously, but Kuroko then says that he will not lose someone who looks down upon the efforts of others prompting Murasakibara to shout that Kuroko's ideals made him sick.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 158, page 8 Kuroko then passes Ryū and goes for the Phantom Shot, but Murasakibara, after being warned by Himuro, blocks the basket so that Kuroko can't see it properly. Kuroko then throws a high alley oop to Kagami who dunks the ball through. An angry Murasakibara prepares to post up, but is shocked to see that he is being guarded by Kuroko. After this Murasakibara turns around to dunk the ball, but is bewildered by Kuroko's lack of presence. He sends Kuroko sprawling and is called for the offensive foul. Murasakibara then says that Kuroko has really annoyed him.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 159, page 7 After Kagami asks Riko whether Seirin can replicate Yōsen's formation, with him defending the paint area, Murasakibara dunks on him twice. After being rebuked by Kise, Kagami manages to enter the "zone". He then blocks both a normal dunk and Murasakibara's special Tornado Dunk (Thor's Hammer), even pushing him to the ground, leaving him shocked. With Kagami continuing to dominate, Yōsen calls for a timeout. Murasakibara having given up because Kagami is strong wants to be subbed out angering his teammates especially Himuro who punches him out of enviness to Kagami's abilities. After hearing Himuro out, Murasakibara resolves to "be in the fight until the end". Noticing his face because of Himuro's punch, Seirin wonders if there was a fight but Kagami says it's exactly the opposite which were proven right because of Murasakibara and Himuro's passing chemistry because "they hate losing". The match goes on and each team continues to dominate each others' defense with Seirin trailing a little. Kiyoshi then returns to the game, but guarding Himuro instead of Murasakibara. As Seirin is on the verge of taking the lead, Murasakibara surprisingly manages to enter the "zone" during the last 20 seconds. This were proven right when Kagami was trying to block his another dunk attempt but because of the time limit of the "zone", Kagami could have been overpowered if not for Kiyoshi's help. As the fastbreak starts, Kagami was surprised to see that Murasakibara was already on the other side proving that he is really on the "zone". For the last time, Kagami performed the Meteor Jam by outjumping Murasakibara and make a shot to take the lead. Still not giving up, Murasakibara has already ran to the other side to dunk but was unable to because Kiyoshi playing PG forced him to jump continuously and it is what his knees can only handle. But his near distance to the basket and height is enough to make a shot but Kuroko easily blocks him to secure their victory. Kuroko no Basuke chapter 164, page 17 Semi-finals The first semi-finals of the day was Shūtoku High vs Rakuzan High, to which Murasakibara and Himuro go to watch. They arrive in the building as the match is about to start and it appears that Murasakibara reluctantly went along with Himuro. Himuro asks Murasakibara's opinion on the match and he simply replies that he can't imagine Akashi losing.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 175, page 11 He is later impressed about Midorima's improvement.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 176, page 3 During half-time, Murasakibara tells Himuro that Akashi's power is one "that negates everything". As the match restarts and Akashi steals Midorima's ball, Murasakibara explains the system of Akashi's eyes, how they can detect his opponent's movements and use it against them.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 178, page 19 As the match ends, Murasakibara says that a 16-point difference is around what he expected.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 183, page 9 The next semi-finals, Kaijō High vs Seirin High commences and Murasakibara and Himuro stay to watch. As Kise goes full-power from the get-go, they witness his "invincible" Perfect Copy.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 185, page 11 Finals Together with his team (except Himuro), Murasakibara goes to watch the finals and meets Tōō Academy on the way. Both teams greet each other and Aomine tells him that even though they last met at the opening ceremony, it feels like it's been a long time. Murasakibara then asks Aomine who does he thinks will win both matches today. Aomine says the it has already been decided for the third place match, since Kise is on the bench and Kaijō can't stop Midorima but he doesn't know for the finals so that's why he went to watch.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 230, page 6 Skill Defense ]] Murasakibara mostly relies on his height to get rebounds, block shots or dunk. Because he doesn't "like" basketball, he prefers staying on defense; but even then, he doesn't feel like blocking if he doesn't want to.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 79, page 4 At important matches like in the Winter Cup, he is forced to do his best and his skill is truly shown. There, it is seen that Murasakibara's arms are especially long. He has seen blocking shots from Hyūga and Kagami when the ball is underway, so much higher than the take-off.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 78, page 1 He can also tower above all the team's centers and catch the rebound easily.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 147, page 8 According to Aomine, Murasakibara is so strong that even the ace of the Generation of Miracles has difficulty bypassing him.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 145, page 3 Offense Not only is he capable of blocking and rebounds, he also bursts his way through offensive dunks. His juggernaut-like force is more than enough to withstand three defending players and can still dunk. He has also been seen dunking from backwards if not having enough time to turn around. At the peak of his power, he was able to bring the basket down.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 156, page 16 When Murasakibara was on offense, it was also seen that in contrary to his seemingly sluggish yet colossal size, he can indeed close both short and long distances on court.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 156, page 11 Thor's Hammer Murasakibara's signature dunk dubbed the Thor's Hammer. This move is basically a two handed dunk with extreme rotational power. Murasakibara posts up under the basket, receives the ball, jumps and spins around while in the air. He faces towards the goal and ferociously dunks the ball with his two hands.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 156, page 6 & 7 Because of the sheer force that Murasakibara produces, it looks like a whirlwind surrounds him while he is rotating. Thor's Hammer has been seen to easily overpower three players. Zone According to Aomine and Kise, in terms of ability, he meets the requirement to enter the "Zone" but unfortunately, he would never be able to because he was assumed to not have the most basic term needed, the love for basketball. However, their assumptions were proven wrong when Murasakibara surprisingly did enter the Zone. At the brink of despair and exhaustion against Seirin High in the quarter-finals of the Winter Cup, including Kagami already in the Zone, Murasakibara opened the gates of the Zone. His power grew substantially and his speed was even greater than before.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 168, page 6Kuroko no Basuke chapter 168, page 9 However, not much of this was shown, since Murasakibara's body was near exhaustion and Kagami's Meteor Jam ended the game before Murasakibara could. After the match, Murasakibara claimed to quit basketball, but broke down in tears not soon after. This makes clear that Murasakibara does have a burning passion for basketball, in contrary to what was previously believed, which enabled him to enter the Zone.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 169, page 11 Relationships Tetsuya Kuroko Kuroko and Murasakibara have a rather up-and-down relationship because when it comes to basketball, they're complete opposites. Murasakibara plays basketball effortlessly and has no passion for the sport itself, while Kuroko loves basketball and clawed his way up, even with his lack of talent. Off the court, it was shown in the Replace novels that they got along quite well, with Kuroko even buying or winning snacks for Murasakibara to try. However, in Junior High school, they once got into a huge fight due to Murasakibara humiliating a member of the second-string from playing basketball again, causing Kuroko to flare up in anger.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 185, page 6 After Seirin defeats Yōsen, Murasakibara claimed that he hated basketball and would stop playing. Kuroko, however, smiled later on and said that there was no way Murasakibara really hated basketball.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 169, page 10 Murasakibara stated in the Characters Bible that he got along with Kuroko the least. Seijūrō Akashi Akashi was Murasakibara's most respected member of the Generation of Miracles. Akashi is one of the few people whom Murasakibara willingly complies to Akashi's commands. In the Replace novels, it was revealed that Akashi was also quite gentle towards Murasakibara, promising to give him the bag of sweets as a prize for winning a Shougi tournament. In the past, it is revealed that he was the reason Akashi finally awakened his Emperor's Eye and beat him in a 1 on 1 though on the verge of winning. Teppei Kiyoshi Kiyoshi is the type of person which Murasakibara hates the most: the type who never gives up and passionately loves basketball, even if they don't have the talent. Murasakibara defeated Kiyoshi before in Junior High school, even hating him back then already because of these reasons.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 79, page 2 They later re-encounter each other during a Street Basketball 5 on 5, with Murasakibara not recognizing Kiyoshi at first. He later recognizes his persistence and his will to crush Kiyoshi down fires back up.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 78, page 18 Kiyoshi was Murasakibara's first rival in the Winter Cup, purposely focusing on defeating Kiyoshi early on in the match. Kiyoshi uses this to his advantage to provoke Murasakibara purposely, causing others to say that even though he "looked honest, he's actually pretty sly". In the end, Murasakibara succeeded in breaking him, but Kiyoshi still didn't give up and returned nonetheless.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 167, page 3 Kiyoshi also understands that Murasakibara doesn't really hate basketball. Tatsuya Himuro Himuro is another person who can keep Murasakibara on a leash, often doing it with snacks. Murasakibara stated in the Characters Bible that Himuro was the one who he got along with best in his current team. He nicknames Himuro 'Muro-chin' while Himuro calls him by his first name, 'Atsushi'. Himuro often drags a reluctant Murasakibara to watch matches with him. Himuro is also jealous of Murasakibara's talent and during the Seirin vs. Yōsen match, punches him when he refused to play anymore. Himuro broke down in tears, stating that it drove him crazy when talented people took things for granted. Murasakibara, possibly moved or guilty due to Himuro's tears, started to play in the match seriously.Kuroko no Basuke chapter 165, page 17 Quotes *"It's so disgusting that I feel like puking. All these things you guys seek: hard work, guts, faith. I'll crush them all. Everything."Kuroko no Basuke chapter 155, page 16 *"I'm gonna quit basketball."Kuroko no Basuke chapter 169, page 7 (To Teppei Kiyoshi after losing to Seirin) Trivia * , "What IF Murasakibara was a '''Pastry Chef'!?"]]He ranked 8th on the second character poll, with 573 votes. *The kanji 紫 (Murasaki) in his name means ''purple (or violet), hinting to his hair color. There is no distinction between "violet" and "purple" in Japanese language.Colors in Japanese @ Japanese Professor *He has a habit to shorten names and add suffix chin, for example Kuro-chin, Mido-chin, Mine-chin, Aka-chin and Sa-chin. *According to the CHARACTERS BIBLE: **If Murasakibara had an alternate job it would be as a pastry chef. **His type of girl is one who is tall, but not taller than him. **His motto is "Sweets are Justice."CHARACTERS BIBLE *As shown in Kuroko no Basket novel Replace I, Murasakibara and Kuroko got along surprisingly well as friends during their early days at Teikō. It was later in time that their different opinions on basketball led them to clash, making Kuroko the former teammate with whom Murasakibara fought most often. Still, Kuroko has stated that he likes Murasakibara as a person. *Murasakibara has the record for making 100 points in a game, this could be a tribute to the NBA Wilt Chamberlain, the only player to score 100 points in a single NBA game. *In a Q&A section in the manga: **Murasakibara was 186cm tall upon entering Teikō. **Murasakibara's best subject is Physics. **Murasakibara hates crows, the reason being that because they make weird noises. **Murasakibara has 3 older brothers and 1 older sister. References Navigation pl:Atsushi Murasakibara Category:Characters Category:Players Category:Generation of Miracles Category:Yōsen High Category:C